The sky hangs full of fonts

There are as few absolutely new things to be invented in typography as there are in bed or in the art of cooking." None other than the unforgettable design professor Kurt Weidemann, who died two years ago, put this thesis into the world. Indeed, it is hard to refute. Nevertheless, what is different today than in the past, when typography was still a leaden craft? The time when the best typefaces (fonts) in use had their roots in the Middle Ages - and are still in use today? What has certainly remained is that today, just as in the past, there are two types of typography - good and bad (see also "Intermission talk with Jost Hochuli"). What has also changed is the proliferation of new fonts, the many "private" fonts; that is, fonts that can be "designed" relatively easily on the computer. Mostly based on existing typefaces. "Dinosaurs", i.e. old typographers, who are of the opinion that these new fonts can be thrown into the Atlantic without causing cultural damage, are often rebuked with the remark that there are always new things in clothing fashion, new skirt lengths, other colors, other cuts, etc., and that these new fonts enrich life and typography.

White space is not empty space

Talking about something that is not there - namely about white space - proved to be not so easy for the nineteen international expert speakers. Thus, in addition to the rhythm between black and white, the interaction between negative and positive, and further on particularly successful works, ideas and concepts as well as book design were lectured. In addition, the designer Clemens Theobert Schedler led the audience as a moderator as usual light-footed, with charm and wit through the conference program. Around 300 guests listened to speeches by typography luminaries such as Jonas Vögeli, Erik Spiekermann, Veronika Burian, Jost Hochuli and other interesting personalities. The crowning finale was the letter walk on Sunday morning through the city of St. Gallen with Florian Hardwig. (It should be noted that the symposium could have been completed in two days. Three days are simply "too much" in this day and age).

Spiekermann's "staccato" language

"A hole is where something is not. The hole is an eternal companion of the non-hole: hole alone does not occur, as sorry as I am" (Kurt Tucholsky). This quote came to the mind of the speaker Erik Spiekermann during his research on the topic of white space. Indeed, the first few sentences of Tucholsky's "sociological psychology of holes" can be compared with the conference topic "white space". If there were no white space, there would be no typography and thus no Tÿpo St. Gallen, said Spiekermann, who is a typesetter, printer, art historian, information designer, type designer, specialist author, professor, and Dr. h.c.

Typography as a vanity fair?

Spiekermann, too, likes to lend a hand when it comes to modifying existing fonts. At the time, he whittled down the first drafts of "Helvetica" and eliminated the really bad details (see picture). Today, he says of "Helvetica": "You can use it for anything, but it's not really sexy." Other sans serifs have more pizzazz, he says, but you can't use them for everything. Recently, he has been working on a redesign of "Helvetica," with his new variant (e.g., the lowercase "g") reminiscent of American Art Gothic. Therefore, a former typesetter involuntarily asks himself: Why is he doing this, and doesn't he just use Art Gothic? Typography as a vanity fair? Those who are not vain, according to Spiekermann, are often content with the average. Towards the end of his talk, Spiekermann didn't miss the opportunity to give the audience a tangible piece of advice that advertising professionals (consultants and others) could also take to heart: "Never work with and for assholes!" Spiekermann was certainly among the more renowned speakers, yet his manner of speaking - staccato, d'origine de Berlin - must be chalked up. He spoke - as usual - too fast, so that many, especially French-speaking Swiss, could not follow him completely. He should, with respect, also modify his 08/15 machine-gun way of speaking, not only writings. His "Spieke" was an imposition for all non-Berliners.

Typography that is pleasing to the eye and takes readability to the extreme
 
Yes, they still exist today. The young Swiss designers Samuel Bänziger (28), Rosario Florio (32) and Larissa Kasper (27) create books, magazines, ephemera, websites and visuals for the fields of art, music and architecture. They convinced with the design relaunch of the magazine Saiten. Saiten has been published monthly since April 1994 as a cultural magazine for Eastern Switzerland and is available in numerous cultural venues, stores, restaurants and public institutions in the region of Eastern Switzerland. The main impetus for the launch was the lack of cultural coverage in the local and regional media. Since 1999, the Saiten association has been responsible for publishing the magazine. Saiten is the only cultural magazine of its kind in eastern Switzerland. As an independent product with high journalistic and design quality, the magazine has made a name for itself far beyond eastern Switzerland. Reportages, interviews and portraits from culture and society open the view for the multitude of worlds that take place in the small. The central idea is to open up borders between city and country, world and "province", old and young, "elitist" and "alternative " culture. The Ostschweizer Kulturmagazin is self-financed and receives no subsidies. Moreover, it sees itself as a service to the population (calendar of events) and as a forum that reflects and reflects cultural and social developments in the region, thus complementing the regional daily press.

A magazine to be collected

The trio Bänziger, Florio, Kasper was commissioned in 2012 to redesign the magazine; the publisher deliberately wanted a team from the region, as close cooperation between the editorial team and the designers was desired. The magazine is not sold on newsstands. The aim of the repositioning or redesign was to adapt the content to the times and generally make the magazine competitive - as a magazine that should also be collected and kept. The cultural magazine Saiten is characterized by good journalism. A logo was deliberately omitted; the designers opted for a word mark with strong recognition value, and a distinctive typeface was chosen accordingly. It is also courageous that the editorial pages are kept in black and white; only advertisements are occasionally presented in four colors. The magazine is overseen every month by the designers themselves, who take on the art direction for each issue.

Exhibition within the framework of the symposium

As part of the Tÿpo typography symposium, handwritten letters from the private collection of the St. Gallen designer and typeface designer Jost Hochuli were also on display in a small, fine exhibition. Also on display were the prize-winning books from the 2012 competitions "The Most Beautiful Swiss Books" and "The Most Beautiful German Books". As two years ago, this year's Tÿpo St. Gallen can be considered a success. "What better thing can happen to a school than to create such a public platform for sharing knowledge and experience? The commitment of the School of Design St. Gallen thus becomes visible for the working world of art, design and creation in a sympathetic way - and far beyond the country's borders," explained Thomas Gerig, Head of Department at the School of Design St. Gallen. Claude Bürki

"Every time has its needs, has the right to express itself differently".
 
Jost Hochuli is probably one of the best-known Swiss typographers and is considered Switzerland's best book designer. Incidentally, he presented an exhibition especially for the event: For one week, letters and posters were on display in the foyer of the School of Design under the title "Some Letters Written by Hand." The letters all come from Hochuli's collection and, to a certain extent, represent the correspondence of world-famous designers. - For Hochuli, writing is just as much design as typography, it is shaping with the body. Claude Bürki spoke with graphic designer, typographer and book designer Jost Hochuli during a coffee break.
 
Jost Hochuli, among other things, there is also talk of type design at this symposium, and not in short supply. We both learned the craft of hot metal typesetting and had to make do with the existing classical and classicistic typefaces of hot metal typesetting - and that went well. Today, we're talking about fonts, numerous new fonts, which I would like to call "private labels" somewhat disrespectfully. Soon every graphic designer will be making his own fonts, based on existing typefaces. What is your attitude to this "fonts-itis", this huge supply of new fonts being passed around? Is it really an enrichment?
 Jost Hochuli: To be honest, I have to say that I am very undecided about this. Of course, I have already asked myself this question, and it has also been asked of me by other people. I'm actually quite sensitive and also a bit conservative. Some of this writing that has come out recently, for example, from the Guardian, the English daily newspaper, is quite excellent. But in my personal work, I can't do anything with "daytime writings" that one anticipates will have disappeared in two or three years. In the case of Rotis (published by Otl Aicher in 1988), I already found at a conference that this typeface - if it survives - will not outlast a period of 20 years, at most in rare applications. And that is exactly how it turned out. It is so far away from the normal, from what one should not notice - because writing is always only a means of transporting language and should not stand out too much as a form. Of course, every typeface has something additional to it, its own climate, its own mood, it is sympathetic, it is cold, it is warm or even repellent. Professor Dr. Antonio Loprieno, rector and Egyptologist at the University of Basel, calls this the "iconic added value". I think that's a very good expression. However, this is nothing new; the old typesetters called this the "mood content of the typeface". But if this mood content is now too noticeable, that's not good.
 
Ninety percent of these fonts could be thrown into the sea without causing any cultural loss, said another professor, Kurt Weidemann. He also said that there was nothing new left to invent in typography. Your opinion? I also came to this symposium with this view ...
I think it's the way it's always been: there's been good typography and there's been bad. Basically, I'm not pessimistic. I certainly don't think it's a negative thing that there are so many typefaces. For certain things, a crazy fashion font can definitely serve its purpose. But I pick and choose. There is nothing fundamentally new. The interiors of the letters, the spacing have to be right. That remains. Every time has its needs, has the right to express itself differently. At these congresses or symposia I let myself be stimulated and take with me what I can use. There were great things presented here. There is a pluralism that I personally appreciate. I certainly don't want to go back to the time when certain ideologues were in charge and thought everything had to be middle-axial. And there are also old Basler Kläuse who think that it must not be symmetrical at any price. The principle that occurs in nature, on trees, leaves, etc., is still true today. Take also the human body, it has not only symmetry. The ideological, the either-or cannot be. The both-as-also is the only reasonable answer.
 
We live in the age of the Internet. Do the same basic rules apply there as in print?
The human eye does not change after all. Of course, the whole thing has to be adapted to the technical conditions. We have the light from behind, and we constantly have movement on the screen. The same applies to building signage. If they are illuminated, larger distances are needed. But the basic principle remains the same, because our eyes have remained the same.

Claude Bürki